Rodri made his first appearance for Manchester City in their 2-0 win against Brentford on Saturday.
The City midfielder had sustained an injury during the European Championship final between Spain and England — leading to him getting substituted at half-time while also getting an extended break after the tournament.
However, Rodri was on the bench for the second time in a row after Manchester City’s recent 3-1 win against West Ham United.
But against Brentford, the £62.5 million man was brought on to replace Mateo Kovacic at half-time, while Josko Gvardiol came on for Rico Lewis.
The Spanish international seemed fully fit from the get-go from the moment he crossed the white lines at the Etihad Stadium.
It seemed like Pep Guardiola felt that the midfield maestro’s introduction was sorely demanded after a first 45 minutes of football where City failed to control proceedings.
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Guardiola reveals fitness update Man City star gave him after Brentford win
The substitution certainly paid off as Rodri instantly brought a sense of authority in the middle of the park and calmness to the side.
The 28-year-old was putting out fires in danger areas and on the ball, he seemed typically impossible to dispossess.
The former Atletico Madrid anchor allowed Manchester City to pin Brentford into their half far more than was the case in the first-half.
According to Sofascore, the four-time Premier League winner won two out of his eight aerials duels, registered a pass accuracy of 94 per cent (completing 45 out of his 48 passes), made one key pass and was not dribbled past even once.
All in all, the midfield maestro looked in cruise control.
Initially, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola disclosed how he felt about Rodri returning to the fold against Brentford.
The Catalan tactician said via HaytersTV: “Ah, come on. He came there, he played really good and yeah, so he has been injured. So, played a few minutes for the national team and I would say, thank you so much that they don’t let him play a lot of minutes.”
Pep Guardiola also revealed that Rodri told him he felt fit in the aftermath of Manchester City’s victory against Brentford.
“And today, played in the first 45 and I asked him, ‘How did you feel?’, he said, ‘I felt good’, so Rodri, come on, he’s so important for us.”
“Kova [Mateo Kovacic] has been amazing and when Rodri cannot play all the minutes, Kova is there and we rotate. We need that. Today, it’s important that Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] has extra minutes and Kyle [Walker], the first minutes and John [Stones], the first minutes so it’s really good.”
Huge relief for Pep Guardiola that Rodri is finally fit
With Manchester City set to play teams of the calibre of Inter Milan in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola would be relieved that Rodri is fit and ready to play.
As Guardiola claimed, Mateo Kovacic has been terrific in the Euro 2024 winner’s absence and in the future, he could deputise for him once again.
But Rodri is one of City’s most important players and his calming influence on the league leaders’ recent win emphasises how instrumental he remains.
Pep Guardiola would also have been hoping to have the option of potentially starting his talismanic midfielder against Inter Milan to ensure he has the minutes in his legs to face Arsenal.
With the Sky Blues’ contest against Watford in the Carabao Cup sandwiched between both games, Guardiola would be aware of the fixture pile-up his side will have to contend with and as a result, Rodri is perhaps fit again at the perfect time.
